This invention is related to dental crowns, particularly to an inexpensive crown construction adapted for use with children who do not have their permanent teeth but require the use of a protective crown restoration for primary teeth. A stainless steel crown construction is considerably less expensive than the molded permanent crowns which are well known to the dental profession. The stainless steel construction has two problems, the first being that the "silver" color of the steel crown is not acceptable, and the second being that the use of a polymeric veneer cosmetic overlay involves difficult bonding and strength problems.